It is a Dog Lick Baby World Out There
Posted by Kathy Kelly | Posted in Prams & Strollers | Posted on 05-02-2012
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So you want to run with a baby…
When I was pregnant, I had dreams of myself running effortlessly down the road with a smiling baby in a jogging push chair and a well behaved dog by my side. I ran before I had a baby, so it looked logical to me to continue on.
Bringing a baby complicates everything (even grocery store trips), here my tips for a successful push chair run with a baby. A jog in the push-chair shouldn't be your baby's first push chair experience. Typically the earliest clearance it is possible to get to run with an infant is 3 months, so you have those 3 months to get the baby used to sitting in the push-chair. It isn't relevant if you employ a jogging stroller or a standard push chair, but the baby needs to be exposed to daily walks (weather allowing). And, it’s good for you too!
Consider the time . Remember when working out was all about you? Questions like, “Do I like working out in the morning?” or “Can I have a cup of joe first?” well, now it’s more like: “What’s the infant's best time of day?” and “When is the weather the best?” If you need a real chance at finishing a jogging push-chair workout, the baby should be full, rested and dry. You have got a window of time to get the run done, so you can't dawdle around, you have got to just go!I find that Faith is more likely to sleep in the push chair if she just had a snooze at home and cry in the push chair if I am taking her out during her ordinary nap time. Babies don’t follow our logic
Start small: Pushing that jogging push chair isn't a joke, so you have to start with short runs for yourself and the baby.
Be prepared: You never leave the house without nappies, so don’t jog without them either. No one wants to do a field diaper change, but it sure beats pushing a hollering baby for the 2 miles home. Also, I used to bring a bottle with pre-measured water and some formula to ease my fears of being stuck miles from the house with a hungry baby.
Have a feeling of humor: Running with a baby isn’t like running alone, but try hard not to get worsened with having to stop to fix a kicked-off blanket or bending hat. If you've got to stop often , just think of it as interval training
The other ladies I run with would like to add one more: Don’t start with snacks! They run with older children (3 and 4) and their kids are pretty relentless about nibbles during the run. This means that their moms have to fish out the snack, open it, and hand it to the kid….all while running. After the kid is done eating, they want to hand the empty wrapper or bag back to Mommy, and then wait 3 minutes and ask for more nibbles
Both ladies I run with say that they wish that they had never started with snacks during runs. Although, the promise of a Dum-dum lolli seems to have great powers if you add “If you're good, you will get it at the turn around point!”
Also, if you going to add a dog to the running mix, you're going to need additional of 5 and for number 4, add poop bags to your push chair. I find that if you tie the full bag to the handlebars of the push-chair, it shields the baby from the stench and frees you from carrying it while running. If your dog isn’t used to running with you alone, taking it out with a stroller possibly isn’t desirable. Like the baby, the dog needs to get used the jogging push chair, but the dog should already be trained for running with you.
Kathy Kelly is runner, freelance writer and mother. She contributes often about the experinces of new mothers, how to stay fit and has burned through many baby jogger trailers along the way.


